# What racial slurs are okay to use in GD? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 27, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794 "2012-08-27T07:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/21 "2012-08-27T16:55:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think **TubaDiva** meant to say that **Ibn Warraq** already had this argument in ATMB all of a month ago. [Link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=658693) Since I explained this to you in the previous thread, **Ibn Warraq** , I am going to have less patience this time: I am getting tired of your strategy of tossing out dozens of racial slurs to make a comparison of the offensiveness of various terms. I understand how the comparison works, but since you do it at such length and in such detail that I’m getting the impression that even though you’re not a racist yourself, you get a kick out of offending people by posting them over and over. I assure you that you do not want the staff to think you’re doing that on purpose. My advice to you is that if you think someone is using an offensive term in GD, you should report the post and also briefly tell the poster why you think the term is offensive or stupid _without using a bunch of offensive terms yourself_. (I say briefly because it makes a thread hijacking less likely.) This is exactly what happened in the “Paki” thread in July. Next time, please try a little harder to learn from your experiences. I can assure you I don’t get a kick out of posting racial slurs and wasn’t doing so to offend. That said, as I posted earlier, my OP poorl written because I was tired and upset about something that happened outside of SDMB. I also apologized to Tom then and am going to reiterate my apology to him and I’ll include you and Tubadiva in it. It’s also why the last few posts I use the phrase “house negro and its variants” rather than listing them. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/22 "2012-08-27T17:03:53Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Oh, please. If that was the case then there are some posters who should have been banned long ago but they are allowed to stay because of…? Because we LUV u! _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/23 "2012-08-27T17:12:28Z")
Some words and phrases are simply more offensive than others. Why is that so difficult a concept for some? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/24 "2012-08-27T17:40:25Z")
It struck me earlier that you were being a trifle disingenuous with some of your remarks, **Ibn Warraq**. And now, reading the mod comments, it becomes belatedly clear what kind of game you’re playing here. You’ll forgive me, I’m sure, if I decline any further participation in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/25 "2012-08-27T19:51:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think **TubaDiva** meant to say that **Ibn Warraq** already had this argument in ATMB all of a month ago. [Link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=658693) Since I explained this to you in the previous thread, **Ibn Warraq** , I am going to have less patience this time: I am getting tired of your strategy of tossing out dozens of racial slurs to make a comparison of the offensiveness of various terms. I understand how the comparison works, but since you do it at such length and in such detail that I’m getting the impression that even though you’re not a racist yourself, you get a kick out of offending people by posting them over and over. I assure you that you do not want the staff to think you’re doing that on purpose. My advice to you is that if you think someone is using an offensive term in GD, you should report the post and also briefly tell the poster why you think the term is offensive or stupid _without using a bunch of offensive terms yourself_. (I say briefly because it makes a thread hijacking less likely.) This is exactly what happened in the “Paki” thread in July. Next time, please try a little harder to learn from your experiences. Having participated in that earlier thread, and remembering clearly how often you asked him to stop this sort of behaviour, I’m quite impressed by the restraint that you’ve shown in this post. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/26 "2012-08-27T20:37:52Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > It struck me earlier that you were being a trifle disingenuous with some of your remarks, **Ibn Warraq**. And now, reading the mod comments, it becomes belatedly clear what kind of game you’re playing here. > > You’ll forgive me, I’m sure, if I decline any further participation in the thread. I’m sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you that I’m not “playing” a game. In the other thread that Marley linked to I was upset because he didn’t mod someone for using a common racial slur for South Asians and Muslims. In this thread I am simply arguing that the term Uncle Tom is as insulting as other terms that would get mod-noted. That said, as I already said, I expressed my argument poorly and certainly if you choose to believe I’m not arguing in good faith that is your prerogative and I can see how you feel that way. For what it’s worth thanks for explaining your feelings and being respectful. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/27 "2012-08-27T20:46:01Z")
I grew up in a black household and “uncle Tom” and “House nigger” are interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/28 "2012-08-27T20:49:45Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > “Uncle Tom” refers to someone’s behaviour, “house nigger” refers to their race. You apparently don’t know what house nigger means, because it’s about behavior. And in fact, the exact behavior that Uncle Tomming typifies. They’re the same, one just sounds more polite because it doesn’t contain nigger. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/29 "2012-08-27T22:47:42Z")
I get the strangest feeling that I’ve been here before! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/30 "2012-08-27T23:04:58Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > You apparently don’t know what house nigger means, because it’s about behavior. And in fact, the exact behavior that Uncle Tomming typifies. They’re the same, one just sounds more polite because it doesn’t contain nigger. I agree that they intend the same meaning. I would not characterize either of them as “polite” or even comparatively “more polite.” What I would do is note that one is far more charged than the other. I would expect “Uncle Tom” to anger someone; I would expect “house nigger” to provoke the person to violence. It is the old “I am resolute; you are obstinate; he is pig-headed” comparison with “house nigger” being far more insulting and inflammatory than “Uncle Tom.” We have actually had this discussion on multiple occasions over the years with no serious resolution of the issue, which is one reason that I did not Mod Note its use in the thread that prompted this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/31 "2012-08-27T23:37:10Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > What was used by a polemicist 50 years ago tells us nothing about whether that term is offensive today. How about a reasonable compromise? If Malcolm X registers here, you grandfather him in and allow him to use “house nigger”. But nobody else can use it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/32 "2012-08-27T23:40:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How about a reasonable compromise? If Malcolm X registers here, you grandfather him in and allow him to use “house nigger”. But nobody else can use it. That truly would be a zombie thread! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/33 "2012-08-27T23:41:32Z")
I think you can use Honky any time you want. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/34 "2012-08-27T23:43:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How about a reasonable compromise? If Malcolm X registers here, you grandfather him in and allow him to use “house nigger”. But nobody else can use it. But what if Uncle Tom registers here?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/35 "2012-08-27T23:46:41Z")
The offensiveness of a word is clearly not a function only of its meaning, or “nigger” wouldn’t be offensive in the first place, since the _meaning_ of that word is simply a person of historical African ancestry. And yet, it’s near-universally recognized as an offensive term, not because of its direct meaning, but because of the attitudes which are so often associated with it. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/36 "2012-08-28T07:44:20Z")
This straight white male winces when he sees the N-word and wishes **Ibn** would stop using it here. Hey, I don’t have to open his ATMB threads. Then again, the offending word was displayed in the mouse-over. At least he didn’t put it in the title like last time, IRRC. I’m just stating my preferences: I understand the English is Ibn’s second language. The N-word in some circles is 20 megatons more volatile than, oh, say (vulgar expression follows: NSFW! But neither is this thread!) cocksucking motherfucking SUV driving kitty declawer! Just saying. Oh yeah. In case anybody wonders why I don’t say or type that offending word… I am a creature of habit. If I say it once in a heuristic context, I am more likely to say it inadvertently in an inappropriate context. So I don’t say it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/37 "2012-08-28T10:43:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But what if Uncle Tom registers here?:dubious: Uncle Tom is dead. Well my Uncle Tom anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/38 "2012-08-28T13:07:09Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I’m just stating my preferences: I understand the English is Ibn’s second language. . No, it is what he\* claims\* is his second language, but I doubt much of his claimed personae. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794/39 "2012-08-29T17:57:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, it is what he\* claims\* is his second language, but I doubt much of his claimed personae. Need to remind everyone that About This Message Board is not the forum to use if you have a claim to make against a poster or you wish to air a grievance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-racial-slurs-are-okay-to-use-in-gd/632794.md?page=1)